Fair dropping to 4 days

The tight economy is hitting many different venues and the Glenn County Fair is no exception.

Its 2010 run is being reduced from five days to four, but that should not dampen the fun, fair manager Jake Walgenbach said.

The fair is scheduled for May 20-23 at the fairgrounds in Orland, with the theme, “Cowboy Boots and Country Roots.”
“We’ve usually had a down day on Thursdays,” he said, explaining about the dropoff after what is typically a pretty busy opening day on Wednesday.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday generally have good turnouts as well, Walgenbach said.

He and the fair board hope every day will be full for 2010, he said.

However, the fair is going to the dogs May 21 with “Dog Day at the Fair,” Walgenbach said.

There will be a dog parade, an ugly-dog and pretty-dog contest, and sheep dog trials in the grandstand arena.

Also planned are mini-dog races to be run somewhere in the middle of the fairgrounds, he said.

That Friday also will serve as “KIds Day,” and Walgenbach said children should enjoy the canines along with the adults.

For the horse and rodeo set, a roping event is planned inside a portable arena at the grandstand along with bull riding on Saturday night.

A fair board member is donating the trucks to haul in sandy loam to the arena area, Walgenbach said, which should last several years.
The destruction derby will be back that Sunday, tentatively under the management of Bryce Matthews from Butte County. He successfully runs the derby at the Butte County Fair in Gridley.

Entries to the junior livestock continue to grow, and Walgenbach said he expects more than 500 animals this year in the Saturday auction.

Livestock judging is set for Wednesday, May 19, due to the number of animals at the fairgrounds, he said, and interested people may attend the competition for free even though the fair will not be open that day.

May 23 also is Fiesta Day in honor of Hispanic residents, Walgenbach said. “We hope they turn out to support their day and the fair.”

Premium books for the fair are out and available on the fair’s Web site, he said, and the destruction derby rules on there as well.

For information, call 865-1168 or stop by the office at 221 E. Yolo St., Orland.